Cornwall apple tree investigation bears fruit

CORNWALL — Attendees of Cornwall Library’s apple history talk Saturday, May 3, had the opportunity to take home a piece of town history.

The talk, titled “Discovering Cornwall’s Apple Heritage: Past, Present, and Future,” was given by three local apple detectives whose efforts successfully reproduced a heritage apple tree unique to town.

Peter Del Tredici, a horticulturist retired from Harvard where he worked in the Arnold Arboretum and the Harvard Forest, and Ian Ridgway and his father, Gordon, of Ridgway Farm, shared their findings before guests were able to buy the unique trees.

Inspired by a book titled “Uncultivated” by Andy Brennan, the Ridgways began searching Cornwall for old apple varieties, also called heritage apples, to grow and use in their future cidery.

Ian explained that in colonial times, “Cider was vital to survival,” since water was often nonpotable. Records indicate Cornwall, a town of about 1,500 people at the time, produced 1,500 barrels of cider in the year 1800.

In early America, apple varieties became localized to states and regions. Cornwall developed its own unique heritage apples over time.

In the 1880’s apple varieties from Europe began to be imported. This caused the market to be driven to specific varieties, ending the hyper-localized varieties.

Then, during Prohibition thousands of apple trees were cut down due to the alcohol content of hard cider, making the older varieties hard to find.

In the group’s search for Cornwall apple varieties, they have discovered “Baldwin’s, Maiden’s Blush, Esopus Spitzenburg, Fameuse, St. Lawrence and Transcendent Crabapple.”

Del Tredici said that DNA can’t be used to identify apples, since they are all hybrids made from grafting. Apples could have DNA from their root stock and from the scions — cuts from the growth of the tree — taken from other trees, resulting in no pure strain.

In Maine, more apples survived through Prohibition. John Bunker of Fedco Nursery, known as “the Sherlock Holmes of Maine apples,” began to hunt for the old varieties. He authored the book “Apples and the Art of Detection.”

“He’s an icon,” said Ian. If Ian, his father, or Del Tredici have an apple they can’t identify, they send it to Bunker.

A very old apple tree on Cream Hill had Del Tredici puzzled. The apple was bitter. “I was not impressed by it.” He noticed that it “had fruit very late in the fall and one year on Jan. 27 there were still apples falling from it.On Christmas of 2015, it still had apples.”

Even Bunker could not identify it. In 2020, Del Tredici took some scions to Bunker for propagation.

Referencing old books, such those by the American Pomological Society and the Connecticut Agricultural Board and old nursery catalogs, they began with location, Cornwall.

Examining the traits of the apple including color, size, productivity, flavor, and how long it keeps, they finally identified the tree as Burnham Sweet, named for Oliver Burnham, a revolutionary war soldier, who had lived on Rattlesnake Road.

T.S. Gold of West Cornwall propagated, introduced, and named the Burnham Sweet apple. It was recorded in 1869 at his farm.

The old tree is on its “last legs now” said Del Tredici. But it will now live on in the trees grafted by Bunker.

Twenty-seven young Burnham Sweet trees made the trip down from Maine.Five of them went to Ridgway Farm, one is to be planted at the Cornwall Historical Society. Others were sold after the lecture to benefit the Cornwall Library.

The Burnham Sweet’s return to Cornwall was welcomed.